CAPRESE SALAD WITH ITALIAN OLIVES - Insalata Caprese

Caprese salad is one of the simplest and most delicious salads to make. Be sure to use good quality extra-virgin olive oil.

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

1 chunk whole milk mozzarella cheese, sliced

3 leaves basil, sliced

Italian black olives (Ligurian or Gaeta)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Layer the tomatoes and mozzarella on two plates or one platter.
Add basil and olives.
Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 2 

LINGUINE WITH SHRIMP SCAMPI & HERBS

Normally I do not recommend cooking with extra-virgin olive oil. Save the good stuff for salad dressing, pasta salads, and finishing on already prepared food. This dish is cooked over medium heat and you can use extra-virgin olive oil.

Extra-virgin olive oil has a smoke point of around 350 degrees F.
Avocado oil has a smoke point of around 400 degrees F.
Peanut oil has a smoke point of around 435 degrees F.

½ lb linguine
4 T unsalted butter

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

½ medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

½ to ¾ lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon

½ cup white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or white vermouth

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup minced Italian parsley
2 T minced chives
6 large basil leaves, minced

Cook the linguine in boiling salted water until al dente, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Save ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil.

Add the diced onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and shrimp.

Cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, wine, parsley, chives, basil, and pasta water.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil for a minute, then add the cooked and drained linguine.

Toss to combine.

Divide between two warm pasta bowls and serve.

Serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a first course (primi piatti)

SPAGHETTI AL POMODORINI FRESCHI - Spaghetti with Fresh Small Cherry tomatoes

Italian pasta dishes are the best when made with just a few fresh ingredients.  

I use Garofalo pasta, made since 1789 in Gragnano, a town near Naples, Italy.

It has a rough surface which holds sauce well.

You can buy it at many grocery stores in the USA.

½ lb spaghetti

2 t sea salt

4 T the best quality extra-virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 (10-oz) carton of cherry tomatoes, cut in half 

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large bunch basil and more for garnish

Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish

In a large pot with boiling water, add the 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

Turn down heat, cover with a lid and let simmer until ready to boil your pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add olive oil and sauté garlic for 1 minute only.

Add tomatoes and sauté, while stirring, until you see the juices come out of the tomatoes, about 5 minutes.  

Season with salt and pepper, add the bunch of basil leaves and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.

Remove some of the basil and gently mash tomatoes with a potato masher or spoon sauce into a medium bowl and blend with a hand-held immersion blender.

Pour sauce back into skillet.

Meanwhile, return water to boil and cook spaghetti for 10 to 13 minutes, or until al dente.

Remove with tongs or pasta fork to skillet with tomato sauce.

Add a little of the pasta cooking water.

Toss with tongs until pasta is completely coated with sauce.

Add a tablespoon or two of grated cheese, several pieces of torn basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Buon appetito!

Serves 2

SPUMONI BISCOTTI

Spumoni biscotti are definitely an Italian-American invention. I made them the old-school way using maraschino cherries, but you can use either dried cherries, dried cranberries, or fresh cranberries. They will last for several weeks, stored in an airtight container. They aren't too sweet and are perfect for dipping into coffee. 

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 t almond extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

¼ t salt

1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 cup drained maraschino cherries, patted dry with paper towels & cut in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the eggs, sugar, and almond extract until light and fluffy. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer, while it is running.

With a wooden spoon, gently stir in the pistachios and cherries.

Shape dough with lightly floured hands into 2 logs of 8 by 3 inches. 

Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. 

Slice into ½ inch slices and lay on sides. 

Reduce oven to 300 degrees F and bake for 12 minutes. 

Carefully flip them over and bake another 12 minutes.

Cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

CAST IRON SKILLET FACACCIA

You don't need fancy equipment to make a focaccia for 2. . .just a bowl and an 8-inch cast iron skillet.

Ready in 45 minutes.

½ cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)

1 t instant dry yeast

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 t sea salt 

½ T extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced, pressed, or thinly sliced

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Rosemary

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

Flaky salt or sea salt

In a medium size bowl, add the warm water and whisk in the yeast.

Set aside for 5 minutes for yeast mixture to get foamy.

Add olive oil, flour, and sea salt.

With a wet hand, fold dough several times in bowl, about 2 minutes.

Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to an 8-inch cast iron skillet, spreading it around with your hands on the entire skillet.

Pick up the dough with your oiled hands and place in the skillet.

Lightly spread with fingers, cover with a pizza pan and let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

While dough is rising, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove pizza pan and using finger tips, make holes in dough and add garlic, tomatoes, and rosemary.

Drizzle with last tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Wait a few minutes before cutting into slices.

Serves 2 to 4

 

CROSTINI WITH BLACK OLIVES & FENNEL

There is something wonderful about the combination of sautéed olives and fennel. Crostini con Olive Nere e Finocchio

1 French baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 medium bulb fennel, fronds removed (save some for garnish), diced

2 T extra-light olive oil

¼ medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ t red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup pitted and chopped Italian black olives

Grill bread slices on a grill pan over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides.

In a skillet over low heat, sauté the fennel in oil for 10 minutes.

Add the onion and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sauté another couple of minutes; add the black olives and heat through.

Spoon the olive-fennel mixture on top of each slice of bread and top with some fennel fronds.

 

ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS - Salsicce con Peperoni e Cipolle

Get the best Italian sausages you can find.  If you have any leftovers, put the sausages on a roll with spicy mustard or pair them with tomato sauce and cheese for an Italian Sausage Grinder.

Polenta

2 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

½ t sea salt

1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
2 T unsalted butter

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sausages

2 T avocado or olive oil, divided

5 to 6 good quality Italian sausages, hot or mild

4 bell peppers, various colors, seeded and sliced

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t freeze-dried or chopped fresh oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and chicken stock to a boil, then add the sea salt.

Add the polenta to the saucepan in a gentle stream, whisking as you pour.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from sticking.

Remove from stove, add the butter and grated Parmigiano cheese

Set aside with a lid to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the sausages and fry, turning several times, for about 20 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board; pour the grease from the skillet and discard.

Let the skillet cool slightly and wipe out with paper towels.

Heat the other tablespoon of oil over medium heat, add the peppers and onions, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the sausages diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces each an return to the skillet with the peppers and onion.

Lower heat and add the garlic and oregano, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook another 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve with the polenta.

Serves 4